Show 'Zhe'
INSTITUTE: Karpenko-Karogo Kyiv National University for Theatre, Cinema & TV
YEAR: 2016
LANGUAGE: Ukrainian
SYNOPSIS: Russia, 19th century, a girl is getting ready for a gallant date with the help of her parents, aiming to get a marriage proposal. The most unfair of the patriarchal traditions. What if it turned out to be a trap set by the lady and the caught man would transform from predator to prey? Inspired by “Failure” a short story written by Anton Čechov, this brisk and grotesque slaughter game, ironically set with tunes by Giuseppe Verdi and Ruggero Leoncavallo, is part of a historical and vivid frame. Based on a Russian belief which says that only God can dissolve such a blessed sentimental union, this work changes the classic role of the woman, traditionally bound to a passive position in the married couple, and makes the men, whether as victims or as oppressors, discover an atavistic male solidarity.
